I met Andrix at a five-star hotel not far from Imperial Pack. When I arrived, he was already there, sipping tea by himself. “You finally showed up. I thought you were going to stand me up,” Andrix said as he lifted his chin and gestured for me to sit. I picked a seat farther away from him and didn’t touch the cup of water in front of me—not a single sip. Andrix toyed with his teacup, eyes gleaming with something unreadable. “What? You don’t even trust the water? I’m not some animal. Like I’d drug you in a place like this. I’m not that low.” I ignored the topic and cut straight to the point. “Did you bring the Spirit Fruit?” “I did. But it’s not on me—it’s upstairs in my hotel room. Want to come take a look?” He studied me with a slight smile in his narrowed eyes, a hint of mockery just barely hidden. “No need. Just tell me—are you really only willing to hand it over if we sign the share transfer?” Andrix shrugged. “Pretty much, yeah.” “But Aiden isn’t awake right now. I don’t have access to those shares. You’ll have to wait until he wakes up to transfer anything.” What I said wasn’t unreasonable, but Andrix wasn’t satisfied. “And by the time he wakes up, the Spirit Fruit will be gone. Then what?” I responded calmly, “If you don’t trust me, you can record everything I say. If I lie, you can sue me.” He shook his head. “Raelynn, you’re too clever. All you’d have to do is talk in circles. Verbal promises like that don’t hold up in court. You think I don’t know that?” “Then what do you want?” I asked, already tired of this game. Andrix inched closer, pressing right up against me. “How about this—you spend the night with me, and I’ll give it to you.” He grinned, sleazy and smug. I slapped him hard across the face. He was too stunned to react at first. “Feisty. I like that.” He licked the blood off his lip where I’d hit him. “You’re that worked up—don’t tell me you and Aiden still haven’t done it? He must be quite the gentleman. If it were me, I’d have eaten you alive by now.” “You’re disgusting, Andrix.” Seeing that the discussion had gone nowhere, I stood up to leave. But before I could take a step, my whole body went limp. I collapsed right back into the chair. “I sprayed the room with colorless, scentless wolf sedative. Sorry, I’m not a gentleman. I am an animal.” Andrix brushed his hand across my face, his smile twisted and manic. “Tell me, Raelynn—if I get to sleep with the woman even Aiden hasn’t touched, do you think he’ll go berserk?” I wanted to curse him out, but my vision blurred. Consciousness started slipping away. Darkness fell, and I collapsed to the ground. Aiden’s POV While unconscious, I vaguely heard Raelynn saying she was going to meet Andrix at a hotel. That immediately set off alarm bells. I had Dr. Chandler inject me with a stimulant, then rushed straight to the hotel. Sure enough, just as I got to the suite, I heard Andrix talking about the sedative he’d used on Raelynn. Fury exploded in my chest. I kicked the wooden door wide open. Raelynn lay unconscious in Andrix’s arms. “Andrix, let her go!” I roared. “Aiden, that was fast,” Andrix sneered. “Poisoned and still standing. I’ve got to say, I’m impressed.” “You disgusting, perverted piece of trash.” I coughed, eyes locked on Raelynn’s limp form. “Put her down. Now.” “Put her down?” He snorted. “Don’t forget—you’re poisoned. No matter how good you are, right now, you’re no match for me.” “Who said I came alone?” I let out a sharp whistle.A dozen wolf guards stormed into the room and lined up behind me. The smirk vanished from Andrix’s face. “So you do have a brain.” “You have one minute, Andrix. Let Raelynn go. Hand over the Spirit Fruit.” He didn’t flinch. “I’m the one holding Raelynn. Shouldn’t I be calling the shots here? You threaten me again, I swear she won’t live to see tomorrow.” “You’re alone, Andrix. You don’t get to negotiate.” “Is that so?” He grabbed a teacup, smashed it against the table, and pressed a shard to Raelynn’s neck. His smile turned maniacal. “Her life for my freedom. Fair trade, don’t you think?” My heart clenched. “Fine,” I said immediately. “Let her go and you can walk out of here.” “I knew you’d cave for a pretty face.” Andrix grinned and tightened his grip on Raelynn, dragging her toward the door. I didn’t dare stop him. I followed silently from behind. He climbed into a cab, then threw Raelynn into my arms just before the door closed. The car sped off. I looked down, holding her tight—only to find her eyes wide open, sharp and alert. A triumphant little smile tugged at her lips. “You’re okay?”